


estancia

by among the willows (emersinner)



Category: Red Dead Redemption
Genre: Friendship, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-10 11:11:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14735858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emersinner/pseuds/among%20the%20willows
Summary: sometimes you crumble.





	estancia

**Author's Note:**

> i did this on my new tablet, and i did not look for typos or spelling errors. anyways, enjoy my one am ramblings. i do not own rdr or the characters. also, i do not ship john and bonnie, and i likely never will. so, i wouldn't come to me looking for john/bonnie fics.

he could swear he and the horse breathed in sync. they blinked together. swatted away the bugs together. shrugged and twitched at the muggy air with eachother. just as john moved to ease himself further into the saddle, the golden beast beneath him shifted his weight. the two sighed. head hung low, the horse seemed content to stand forever.

john thumbed the brim of his hat up a touch, expanding his field of vision. the evening sun's glower made the low horizon tremble.

    "john, are you alright?"

he and the horse turned their heads. they blinked at the woman who approached on foot. john tipped his head down, to the side. his left hand hooked on his hip as he thought on such an unnassuming question.  _was he alright?_   _ **alright?**_ no.  ** _okay?_** well. no, not really. 

     "breathing," he finally did say.

a mocking bird guffawed, appalled by the audacity of him. bonnie looked similarily unimpressed. her fist on her waist and the squint of her eyes made john worry the reins betwixt his palm and digits. his hand left his hip to rub at his chin as he looked away from her. brown gaze cast to the far off dirt. the horse had already hung its head, blinking away the flies.

     "somethin' troublin' you, john?"

her tone was soft. _gentle._  so much so, it shocked john into looking at her once again. her features mirrored her voice. his chest constricted, and his stomach twirled. he didn't need that from her. he wouln't take that from her. suspecting impending failure, he cleared his throat to jog his vocals.

     "what ain't, miss?" they both paused. so he questioned no one in particular once again. "what ain't..."

bonnie sauntered closer. her hand fell against the horse's twitching hip. she patted it, as if to pat john's own back.

     "i'm  _hopin'_ me."

now, john had to give a little nod and a smile at that. a rasping chuckle.

     "no. i'm sorry. you aren't troubling me a bit."

     "oh? not even a little?" he could hear her little smile. again, he chuckled. this time, looking to her. his head shook.

they looked at eachother for a brief moment. then bonnie drew a breath, clicking her tongue.

     "come to the house for supper tonight."

with that, she turned and made her way back to her strawberry roan. john watched her mount up, never having looked back at him once. she left him on the hill.

she left him crushing his tongue between his teeth. his chest and throat felt far too small. john worked the muscles in his scarred jaw as he looked down at the saddlehorn. he busied himself with adjusting his seating as his composure crumbled.


End file.
